TO GO TO COLLEGE OR NOT

Times are changing. It used to be that the only roads to what society perceived as “success” without a college degree were to become a professional athlete, a successful entertainer or musician, an inventor, a bestselling author, or a thriving business person.

Why? If you weren’t “given” one of the above talents or instincts at birth, the only other option to “be successful” is to get a college degree — or that’s what we’ve been told. Many of us did just that; we got the degree. Even if we had the talent, we felt we had to get the degree to have a backup plan if our “real dream” failed.

Today’s topic is about if, why, and when you should get a college degree as you pursue your entrepreneurial endeavors.

I’m grateful for my college education. I really am. Both degrees have opened doors for me when I was seeking jobs and I learned a lot of valuable information that I apply when needed. Because I earned my Master’s degree in Education, I was able to teach at the college level.

My Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications helped me to strengthen and enhance my writing skills — a talent for telling stories that I was already given at birth. I actually used these enhanced skills in the jobs that I’ve had and currently in my business that I run right now.

I’m no longer an employee — and that’s by choice. I’ve chosen to own my own business in the form of a writing agency and production companies. Going from employee to entrepreneur changed a lot for me. Not only with my mindset, but with my actions.

As an entrepreneur, your goals should be to fulfill a need that’s lacking in the marketplace and to generate revenue by helping as many people as possible to fulfill that need. A college degree isn’t required to accomplish either objective.

My advice is to go to college if you genuinely want to learn information and to complete assignments/exams that you would like consistent feedback on within a structured environment. This is part of what college is. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

The problem comes in when people have the expectation that their college degree will somehow equal to financial success and/or wealth. If you go to college with this mindset, you more than likely will be disappointed.

I’m here to tell you: do NOT go to college with the sole purpose and belief that you will somehow make more money! Yes, there are professional fields where you can increase your intrinsic value with a degree, and therefore, your income level. I’m not arguing against that.

However, you are reading this blog because you’re an entrepreneur — not because you want to be a high paid employee.

If you want a degree that happens to offer very little financial value upon completion, my advice would be to apply for scholarships, apply for grants, pay a portion out of pocket if you’re able to, or after generating some form of passive income from your business, use that revenue to pay for your degree. Education debt is useless and a stress that is completely unnecessary. Unfortunately, I know from experience.

Takeaway One: learning something new can be valuable.

Takeaway Two: going into education debt with a hope and a wish that you can pay off that debt one day with a job that you may or may not get or from future clients that you may or may not get from the degree you’re seeking is not a practical approach to success or building wealth as an entrepreneur.

Just remember, learning can come from reading books written by successful people, attending business seminars and workshops, listening to audiobooks, getting mentored by someone who is successfully doing what you want to do, or simply going to college with the intention and expectation of learning.

Today’s LESSON is to focus on learning and growing as an entrepreneur.

FUN ASSIGNMENT: If you’re considering college right now in the middle of growing your business, figure out why you want to go. Your “why” is important. Secondly, figure out a way to pay for the tuition without going into debt.

Nitara Osbourne owns The Infinite Writer Agency, LLC, which provides content to producers, publishers, and successful sales people seeking help with developing their life stories into nonfiction books and movie scripts. Ghostwriting and content writing services are provided for clients as well. If you’re an accomplished sales person, and are looking to tell your story, contact Nitara Osbourne. InfiniteWriterAgency@gmail.com.